How To Move Forward in Life

Sometimes, it can seem like life is getting you stuck in the mud. Maybe there’s an art project you’ve been meaning to start on for several months or a career change you’ve been wanting to make or an invention you’ve been wanting to develop. The daily demands of life can feel like anchors that hold you down, but here are a few tips that can help you get started moving forward.

Let Go of Baggage

Philippians 3:12-14 talks about “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Often, we interpret this to mean that we need to stuff negative emotions into a dark corner and move forward. The problem is: they’re still there and they’re still affecting your ability to be successful.

In order to move forward, you’ll need to identify emotions that are keeping you stuck and process them with God, and often, with caring people like your church, your friends, or even Christian counselors. Things like depression, anger, stress, anxiety, and the like, are indicators of hurts and pain that are underneath the surface. Because we are human, we feel, and emotions are valid things that help us to identify what is going on under the surface. You may need to consider allowing someone else into the process to help you walk out Philippians 3:12-14 in your own life.

Cut Out a Few Things

Often, there are a few things that are either completely unimportant or are entirely made up of other people’s goals for you. These things could be that 1,000-page book a friend gave you that you “absolutely have to read by the end of the week” or a career path that your family approves of or that TV series you’re addicted to.

What are the things that you could, or even should, cut out of your life? At the same time, make sure you’re not cutting out your family or your closest relationships. Share your goals with your family and friends—they may be the best accountability partners in your life.

Develop Some Achievable Goals

When we think of accomplishing something big, we often think of the project as a whole. For instance, if you’re wanting to remodel the living area of your house, you can get caught up in visualizing the finished project, but struggle with a plan for getting started. Here’s where you’ll need to grab a piece of paper and break it down into a list of bite-sized projects that are more achievable (i.e. obtain permits, buy supplies, fix the bad vent system, and so on).

The same goes for almost any goal you want to accomplish. A long-term goal rarely happens all at once. Sometimes, it needs to be developed over the course of several months or even several years.

Moving forward is not an entirely elusive thing. Paul experienced a lot of setbacks, but he continued to move forward, spread the gospel throughout Asia, and wrote a large portion of the New Testament. As Hebrews 12:1-2 advises, we too can set aside the weights that so easily hold us back and run the race with endurance.